Speeding: How fast before it's jail time?


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Most people speed at one time or other. But there's speeding and then there's SPEEDING.

At 20mph over the speed limit an officer can give you a ticket for reckless driving. An officer can, in most states, arrest you for speeding if they want to. It's their discretion.

I've talked to a few friends of mine who are police officers and none of them had ever arrested anyone for speeding. But on the other hand, they've never caught someone going over 120mph. One, in fact, pointed out how hard it would be to even catch someone going over 120 from a stand-still (typical police cruiser would take 7 or so seconds just to get to 60 and at that point, the other car is still going 60mph faster).

What's the fastest you've ever gotten a ticket for and what were the consequences? Anyone want to venture an opinion on where the line is crossed (if any) when they cuff you instead of ticket you for speeding?

Edited by Frogboy
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A person I worked with got a speeding ticket for going 26 (or 27) mph in a 25 mph zone :p

It was on a Air Force base by military police who were going to be out of a job soon becase the base was closing down so they had nothing better to do. I think it was my coworker's second or third ticket because he couldnt drive on the base for a whole month.

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Actually, it only takes one offense on a military installation and you can't drive there for a month. You also have to take a defensive driving course before the month is up.

My brother got stopped for 90-something in a 65 and lost his license for a month and had to pay a $500 fine. That was in Maine.

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I've been caught doing 16 over twice. The first time was a $189 fine on a county highway. The second was just recently a $236 fine because it was on an Interstate. The second one, while I admit I was in the wrong by speeding, I think was a tad bogus, since 16 over in the left lane of a 3-lane interstate is still slow for many others.

I generally try and keep my speed under 10 above the limit - I figure officers have better things to do with their time than ticket someone for less than that, as that doesn't get the state very much money.

The limit for being jailed would depend for me. If I were an officer and got you for 30 over on an interstate, I'd probably just ticket you. If I got you for 30 over in the middle of a town, you'd probably be worse off than just a ticket.

-Spenser

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I was once given a ticket for 25 over in a 25mph zone :o The actual fine was around $240, but I waited and went to court just to get it reduced. Which I succeeded in getting it knocked down to $170 and written up as 20 over. It was a county road 55 mph that transitions into a City road 25mph, really quick. No signs recognizing this either :( Thats the main reason the ticket was brought down, but the judge said I should have had better judgement.

Of course I agreed, even though I dont think I would have run over any little kids in the street at 2 am, but thats not the point lol. And no I never said that in court, didnt want too :p

Well the story ends with me paying the fine, and the City putting up a sign ;)

I've only been pulled over twice. The second time was just a warning 5+ over in a 40 mph zone. I think the Cop would have given me a ticket if I hadnt asked about what he saw on his radar. He didnt answer right away, he went back to his partner and then came back 3-5 minutes later to tell me they have 'two' types of radar that they use. I asked which one they used on my car.. and well... "none" is what he said. So no ticket there. I guess getting pulled over twice in about 4 yrs of driving isnt that bad, but not that good :p

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In August of 2006 I got caught doing 67 on a 45 (22mph over, uh oh). I knew that the speed limit was about to change very soon, but I was passing a truck in the left lane and missed the speed change. That cop wrote me up for doing 10 over and I had to pay a $120 fine. Oh, I also got 2 points on my record (which I thought my insurance would go up). Then in December 2006 I just got through taking a final exam for a certain college class which I totally bombed. I was ****ed/depressed, so I was flying. I got caught doing 82 on a 67 (15mph over, uh oh). I got another 2 points but this cop was the nicest state trooper possible I'd guess.

I said, "oh crap, this means my insurance is going to skyrocket", and he said that the insurance company won't find out (because he wasn't reporting it) unless I had another traffic offense in the next year. This ticket was only $135, so needless to say I got off very easy the second time (as well as the first, but the first cop was a township jerk).

While we are on the subject, I am not sure what the laws are. I think they are different for each state...I am in PA. Will the points disappear from my record exactly 1 year from when I got them? My dad said it takes 3, but he said he might be thinking of the insurance. I'd like to know this as I'll have alot of long-distance driving this fall semester and that worries me a bit. I try not to speed but everyone slips up once in awhile.

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I got a ticket early in January for doing 96 mph in a 65. Sucky. I really don't think I was going that fast though, but obviously I was speeding, and no way to fight it.

The cop made me do the sobriety test, and thankfully I passed. Glad the fine was only $400ish.

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In August of 2006 I got caught doing 67 on a 45 (22mph over, uh oh). I knew that the speed limit was about to change very soon, but I was passing a truck in the left lane and missed the speed change. That cop wrote me up for doing 10 over and I had to pay a $120 fine. Oh, I also got 2 points on my record (which I thought my insurance would go up). Then in December 2006 I just got through taking a final exam for a certain college class which I totally bombed. I was ****ed/depressed, so I was flying. I got caught doing 82 on a 67 (15mph over, uh oh). I got another 2 points but this cop was the nicest state trooper possible I'd guess.

I said, "oh crap, this means my insurance is going to skyrocket", and he said that the insurance company won't find out (because he wasn't reporting it) unless I had another traffic offense in the next year. This ticket was only $135, so needless to say I got off very easy the second time (as well as the first, but the first cop was a township jerk).

While we are on the subject, I am not sure what the laws are. I think they are different for each state...I am in PA. Will the points disappear from my record exactly 1 year from when I got them? My dad said it takes 3, but he said he might be thinking of the insurance. I'd like to know this as I'll have alot of long-distance driving this fall semester and that worries me a bit. I try not to speed but everyone slips up once in awhile.

No, it's definately 3 years in PA. I got a ticket for an accident I had where I was passing a slow car because I was late for work and he kinda cut over the yellow as I was passing. Well, to make a long story short I got a ticket and my insurance was higher until it was taken off 3 years later.

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Don't police usually not bother trying to get into pursuit-type situations? Mainly because they put the public in danger? :s So I'm assuming if someone flys by a cop doing 140, the cop wouldn't even bother?

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No, it's definately 3 years in PA. I got a ticket for an accident I had where I was passing a slow car because I was late for work and he kinda cut over the yellow as I was passing. Well, to make a long story short I got a ticket and my insurance was higher until it was taken off 3 years later.

Yeah, but I meant to say when do the points get off your driving record for the state? So at 5 points you lose your license, I have 4, so when do those 4 points go away?

There's a place with a sixty SEVEN mile per hour speed limit?

Lol it was late, I meant 87 on a 65. :p

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I was running around 207 in a 65 on a modified Buell when I was caught. I figured I could outrun the cops, so I kept going. THey had a roadblock setup where I was going due to it being jan 1st, so i ended up getting myself caught. I spent 2 weeks in jail, lost my license for a year, and had to pay a 2500$ fine. Ive not rode a bike since :p

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Who said running from the cops? I said I figured I could beat him to the off ramp. Got alot of readers on neowin that dont read everything either, and im glad none of you live near me.

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My dads been caught going 33 in a 30 zone and got 3 points and a ?60 fine, the police officer was a real ######.

Tonight i was in my mates BMW coming back from a mates house, doing 130 on the motorway in light rain, was fast as hell, second fastest ive ever been in my life, other time was 140mph, in a Mercede SLK 550(i think) Kompressor in Germany on the Autobahn in a dads friends car.

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The speed limits in the UK are getting stupid IMO, every 60MPH road in my area is being changed into a 40MPH, some guy died a few months ago by mistaking a normal road for a dual carriageway and hitting a truck head on - guess what happens? Speed goes down from 60 to 40, entire road layout is changed.

Don't get me wrong, in some areas there needs to be heavy speed limits e.g. around schools, towns, busy housing areas etc, on main roads though... it really is getting stupid.

Anyway, I am going way off topic, I just needed to air my thoughts :p

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I know this is really an american thread, and I'm being pretty dense... But just out of curiousity - don't you people have cameras over there? I got confused becuase you seem to be more concerned with being 'pulled over' than anything else.

Normally in the UK it's dictated as about +10% of stated speed - for points+fine or warning/"safety awareness course" (if your lucky!). You normally only get jail time for 'death by dangerous driving', most offences are punishable by penalty points (up to 12/15) or disqualification (usually for 2-4 years). I could be wrong tho, any clarification would be helpful.

Edited by Endo.
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Stupid limits tell me about it! i live in a town outside of Porstmouth, where they're making 20MPH zones....thats just plain stupid, its also less economical on fuel than doing 30.

Also, because a Pakistani women was killed as she didnt look before she crossed, they've put Pakistani signs up in alot of places....

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Yeah I agree... In Portugal they usually don't stop you (only if you are going WAY over the limit) but they have cameras and send the tickets home :(

I have never been caught (camera or police)... If I had been I wouldn't have a license today ... theres a law in portugal that if you break ANY law on the road before you have your license for 3 years, you automatically lose your license and have to have your driving lessons all over again...

but I guess you only get a ticket (in portugal) for 10km/h over the limit. Don't know anybody who got a ticket for less than that.

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Its all about cameras in my area. Smart cameras. They will record the time its taken you to get between two points, if its faster than what ever limit they set, ticket sent to your house.

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Its all about cameras in my area. Smart cameras. They will record the time its taken you to get between two points, if its faster than what ever limit they set, ticket sent to your house.

"Average speed cameras" are bastards... especially when they operate on 10/15 mile stretches of road (like in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire).

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